This illustration of international travel in the future, complete with robotic red-cap porters, appeared in the December 4, 1932 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX). It seems that all you need to do is step into the tube of your choice, then be shot out via capsule to your final destination.
The design has a very Rube Goldberg feel to it. Why one must first go down a slide, before ascending stairs couldn’t be confirmed by presstime. The caption that accompanied the illustration is below.
INSTANTANEOUS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL — The artist here suggests the passenger terminals of the future, which, he thinks, will look quite different from the present steamship pier or railroad station. It will be noticed that everybody is equipped with a little personal radio antenna, and the arrivals and departures are announced by a mechanical man, while the red-cap porter is replaced by a robot who handles the luggage.
Previously on Paleo-Future:
Airplanes of Future Will Travel 1,000 MPH (1939)
